Esther Lostaunau passed away peacefully on April 10, 2026 in Greenville, South Carolina.

Esther was the seventh of nine children of Isaac and Quirina Gutierrez, immigrants from Mexico who settled in Bakersfield in the 1920s. She grew up near the tracks in East Bakersfield, where her father worked in the Southern Pacific roundhouse and her mother patted out endless tortillas to feed the men who rode the rails. Following her graduation from East Bakersfield High School in 1959, she worked as a front office receptionist and an elevator operator in the Haberfelde Building until she married future Bakersfield police officer Henry Lostaunau in 1961 and started a family of her own. She found a job with the Bakersfield City School District, first as the library lady at Williams School and later as frontline staff in the school office. She often interacted with immigrant parents who spoke limited or no English, using her native language skills to help worried families negotiate a foreign and often impenetrable education system. She spent time at several elementary school sites before retiring in the early 1990s.

Esther was an introvert who was easily mistaken for an extrovert; her droll sense of humor could fill a room with laughter, and she had a charismatic, comforting way of connecting with people that put strangers at ease. She had an impeccable sense of style, cooked amazing meals, and was a talented artist, filling sketchbooks with pencil drawings of the people and places outside her window. Leaving Bakersfield last year was difficult for her, as she felt profoundly attached to the only city she’d ever called home. The memory care team in Greenville affectionately called her “California” and made sure that she was always turned out in a jaunty hat and bedazzled sunglasses.

Esther was preceded in death by her husband Henry Lostaunau, Jr., her parents Isaac and Quirina Gutierrez, sister Alice Gann, and brothers Joel, Al, and Isaac Gutierrez. She is survived by her son David and his wife Suzie of Grants Pass, Oregon; her daughter Melissa and her husband Michael of Brevard, North Carolina; five grandchildren and one great-grandchild; brothers Ruben Gutierrez and Peter Gutierrez; sisters Anita Padilla and Rachel Voigt, and dozens of extended family members around the globe.

No services are planned, but we hope that you will honor Esther’s memory by sharing a funny story or cooking a delicious feast for those you love. She will be laid to rest next to her husband Henry. May her memory be a blessing.

Cremation Society of South Carolina Westville Funerals is honored to serve the family of Esther Lostaunau.

We invite all those who knew Esther to share stories, memories, and condolences in our online guestbook below.